Some shoppers may scrupulously study them, others may only glance at them, still others
may not even know they're there.

No matter, the Nutrition Facts label - that box that tells consumers how much sodium,
protein, carbs, calories and other nutrients that foods contain - is getting a makeover and
it's one that local health advocates appreciate.

The label was introduced in 1993 to provide consumers with important information on food
packages. But much has changed since then - people are eating larger servings, rates of
obesity, heart disease and stroke remain high, and more is known about the relationship
between nutrients and the risk of chronic diseases today than was known 20 years ago.

So the Food and Drug Administration is proposing a re-do of the rectangular black-andwhite
label.

The servings-per container-information will be bolder and listed above the serving size;
the calories listing will be bolder and more prominent; calories from fat will be eliminated;
and a new "added sugars" category will be added if the changes being proposed are
adopted.

Aspirus registered dietitian Jennifer Mikulich thinks the emphasis on calories is a positive.
She's also on board with differentiating between sugars and added sugars.

"That's very confusing to some people," Mikulich said. "Like milk. There's sugar in milk but
that's a natural sugar."

Wausau's Downtown Grocery co-manager Megan Curtes Korpela agrees that a lot of
products have naturally occurring sugars and it makes sense to point that out.

"I think it's helpful to differentiate," Curtes Korpela said. "Sugars can come from a lot of
different places and they can affect the body in different ways."

Curtes Korpela also likes the idea of having the servings per container information be
more prominent — and more accurate.

"Someone doesn't have to take a bottle of soda and divide the calories by two or the sugars
by two," Curtes Korpela said of the new labels. "It may seem easy enough to do, but a
lot of people are in a rush."

The proposed changes aren't as comprehensive as some would like. They don't include a
provision for unsaturated fats, for example, and Marshfield Clinic registered dietitian Johnilee
Slark thinks that’s a shortcoming.

"The saturateds are there, but having more of those unsaturated fats are extremely important
when you’re looking at hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance," Slark said.

The FDA is also proposing updating serving size requirements to reflect what people actually
eat, not what they "should" be eating.

Mikulich said that's a slippery slope.

"That's a little scary to me," Mikulich said. "If they go to that, a lot of people will be eating
more than what they should be."

But Mikulich agrees some of the current serving sizes are not realistic. Some 12-ounce
cans of soda, for example, say they contain two servings, and even vending-machine
bags of snacks claim to contain multiple servings now.

"Half a pickle, that's ridiculous to me," she said. "But I don't want to see them go the other
way and have too large of a serving size."

The FDA has divided the proposed changes into two rules and is taking comment on them
through June 2 at www.regulations.gov. If approved, the food industry would be given two
years to comply with the rules.

Nutrition labels may soon be getting a makeover that would make choosing
healthier options for you and your family a lot easier.

Anna Long is like most mothers, busy. She's trying to juggle her two kids while
putting yummy and healthy food on the table.

"It's very important to feed my family on good food," she told NewsChannel 7.
She admits, however, it's not always easy. When we asked her if she reads
nutrition labels on the backs of foods she told us she tries, but doesn't always.
Long says it's not that she doesn't care. What it really comes down to is time
and not having the time to decipher what all the information on the nutrition
label means.

That's why First Lady Michelle Obama and the FDA are proposing changes
that would make reading the label easier and more informative.

The first thing you'll notice looking at the new label is the calorie count. The calorie count stands out with a bigger, boulder and dare we say shame inducing font.

The next thing you'll notice is the serving size. The FDA wants to change the serving size to more accurately reflect what we actually eat and drink. Serving sizes for items like soda and ice cream will likely be going up as a result.

Another big change, the labels will indicate how much sugar is added to a product.

Teresa Murphy is a registered dietitian at Marshfield clinic. She says right now it's hard to know what is naturally occurring sugar and what is added by the manufacturer.

"Yogurt has a lot of natural sugar in it, the lactose, but then when you're buying yogurt with the fruit on the bottom or high-fructose corn syrupadded to them we know that there is added sugar, but how much is really the natural sugar versus the added sugar."

The new labels will also display the amount of Vitamin D and potassium a product contains.

"It's been found that most American's don't consume or get enough Vitamin D as well as Potassium," Murphy explained. "Potassium is helpful to decrease blood pressure. Vitamin D is to help maintain bone health."

Shoppers, like Long, seem happy about the proposed changes.

Long says, "It would make things a lot easier to pick things out and know what I'm feeding my family."

If the proposal becomes law manufacturers will have two years to make the changes to their labels, but they may pose challenges to some local businesses.

Kim Lempke owns Kim's BS Sauce in Wausau. he tells NewsChannel 7 two out of every ten customers check the label on his product and
one out of ten make a decision about whether or not to buy it based on the label. He says because of FDA regulations, he's not yet required to put a nutrition label on his barbeque sauce, but once he hits 100,000 bottles sold it's going to cost him a pretty penny.

"Probably after the breakdown and everything, [it will cost] in between $500 and $700 per recipe," he said. "So a product like mine, which we have five different flavors, that would be a substantial cost to the business."

While the health craze may cost Lempke, business is booming at Downtown Grocery in Wausau where label reading has always been the name of the game.

"What we like to do here is emphasize fresh and whole," co-manager Megan Curtes Korpela said. "Ideally it would be finding foods that have not been highly processed." Curtes Korpela says no matter the product the most important things to look at on
the food label are calories, fats and sugars.

Raising money for academic scholarships is as easy as snacking on a smorgasbord of gourmet food. Who knew? The University of Wisconsin Marathon County on Saturday will host its 31st annual Education Assistance Through Scholarships fundraiser, also known as EATS.

About 40 local chefs will have tables and stations set up throughout UWMC's academic building offering a diverse lineup of grub, including pumpkin seed dip, fried dumplings, venison meatballs, white chicken chili and pork tenderloin marinated in pinot noir.

Downtown Wausau's Be Well Bakeshop and Downtown Grocery each will have a chef representing them at EATS, said Megan Curtes, owner of Be Well Bakeshop and manager at Downtown Grocery.

Coconut fig bites, no-grain macadamia bread and gluten-free ginger brownies with crystallized ginger are just three of the baked goods that the two businesses plan to have on-hand.

"Being able to use a selection of different ingredients makes baking more fun and still satisfies your craving for sweets," Curtes
said. "Some of the ingredients are things people wouldn't normally think of using, and that can open up a whole new world."

A special "chocoholic" station also will be available at EATS and will feature exclusively dishes and desserts containing chocolate.

"Some chefs have a signature dish that they make every year, while others like to spice it up and bring something new," said Kristine McCaslin, EATS committee chairwoman. "Everything is served in sample sizes, which allows you to try something you're curious about but that you might not want an entire serving of."

Three bars will be set up around the building, offering soda, wine and beer, while jazz music and dancing will be offered later in
the evening in the campus' student union.

More than 500 people attended last year's fundraiser and raised nearly $26,000 for student scholarships, which can help students pay for such things as books, school supplies and child care.

Local leaders are plotting to build the city's biggest community garden on Wausau's east side.

The city is considering lending the Wausau Urban Community Gardens several vacant lots in the 1500 block of Second Street so a garden can be built on the site, Wausau's Community Development Director Ann Werth said. The garden would provide 30 to 40 plots on which residents could grow produce, flowers and herbs.

If the community gardens group strikes an agreement with the city for the lots, officials plan to relocate the community garden near Bridge Community Clinic, at 1810 Second St., to the 1500 block of Second Street. The clinic plans to close the garden, which holds about 17 plots, this summer because of a construction project that is expanding the center. Bridge Clinic will reopen the garden next year. A third garden, the East Towne Garden on Jefferson Street, will be open this summer.

Crews hope to start working on the new garden later this spring and plan for a summer opening, Jamie Kenealy, an AmeriCorps member who works at the clinic to create community gardens, said.

"It's going to be a much bigger garden than we've ever had," said Laura Scudiere, the executive director for Bridge Community Clinic, which helps to launch community gardens in the area.

The community gardens board hopes to create a five-year lease to keep the garden open, Kenealy said. That would allow for the space to get some use while the city markets the vacant lots to developers, Werth said. The lots are one block from the city's riverfront and the Trolley Quarter Flats apartment complex that opened up last year.

"That's a great use of the land temporarily until we sell that," Werth said.

Kevin Korpela, a Wausau grocery store owner who sits on the Wausau Urban Community Garden Board, said the new garden would be a great spot for neighbors to gather. The board also is considering installing picnic areas around the garden for friends and family to gather for outdoor lunches.

Korpela said work is expected to begin on the new garden in mid-June. The United Way Emerging Leaders group has agreed to help build and fund the garden, he said.

"I think there's an ability of community-building (and) of showing what hard work can be about with the lovely outcome of good vegetables," Korpela said.

A new bill aimed at limiting the amount of junk foods purchased using food stamps has passed the state Assembly.

While the new bill could toughen regulations, many local business have already taken steps in recent years to get those on food stamps to eat healthier.

"The food stamp program provides an ability for someone during a tough time to still eat healthy." Says Kevin Korpela, co-owner of Downtown Grocery in Wausau.

That's the reason Downtown Grocery wanted to take part in the state's food stamp program. As Korpela sees it, it is a way to keep people making healthy choices even when money is tight.

The reality however is that not everyone uses food stamps to buy healthy products. That is why the state assembly has passed new legislation that would require food stamp recipients to spend at least two-thirds of their monthly allotment on healthy foods. For Kevin, he already sees many families use food stamps on healthier choices.

"There are families who are looking for good nutrition for themselves that our store provides an option for those choices. " Korpela says

Marathon County Public Health Educator Amanda Ostrowski has also seen first hand that many on food stamps are seeking out fresh and healthy foods. That is why she partnered with the Wausau Farmers Market to accept food stamps.

"Three years ago you could use your food share or your EBT card at grocery stores or convenience stores to buy whatever you would like but you could not use it at your local farmers market. That was something we wanted to change." Ostrowski said.

While the proposed food stamp legislation is not popular with everyone, others believe it could be a key in reducing food stamp fraud as well as working to curb the nation's obesity epidemic. As for now, businesses like Downtown Grocery and the Wausau Farmers Market will continue knocking down stereotypes about what foods are bought with food stamp cards one vegetable at a time.

If you go
What: EATS - Educational Assistance Through Scholarships
When: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday (doors will open by 6 p.m. for silent auction)
Where: University of Wisconsin Marathon County, 518 S. Seventh Ave., Wausau
Cost: $40 in advance; $45 at the door
To learn more: For more information contact Zweck at 715-261-6280.
You should know: Event features food, drink, music and a silent auction

For three decades, Wausau-area chefs have served up their best bites at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County's annual fundraiser.

The tradition continues with the 30th annual EATS - Educational Assistance Through Scholarships - which will be held Saturday on the UWMC campus. More than 35 chefs and cooks will offer appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts, and the event also will feature live music, a silent auction, local beer by Bull Falls Brewery and a diverse selection of wines from Trig's Cellar 70.

It's a fun party, organizers say, but the purpose is serious. Last year, more than 500 people attended the event and they raised nearly $26,000 to support for students attending UWMC, said Brad Zweck, executive director of the UWMC Foundation. Proceeds from the event have ranged from $20,000 to $26,000 per year for the last decade or so. Attendance has ranged from 400 to 500 over the same time.

That money is important for students such as Blaine Gould, 19, a second-year UWMC student who plans to pursue civil or engineering at either UW-Madison or UW-Platteville next year. Gould received a $250 scholarship that likely was supported by the EATS fundraiser, and he hopes to earn another scholarship for next year.

The money doesn't cover all of his bills, but it "meant a ton," Gould said, "especially with college costs being as a high as they are."

Gould also is a second-year member of the EATS planning committee as part of a leadership program in which he is involved. Last year, he worked as a runner for the program, trying to learn what the event was all about.

"I had no clue as to what it was," Gould said.

After participating, "I thought it was excellent. Just to see how many people came, to help ... my generation of students," Gould said. "It's just amazing to see the support students get. It's a great boost to see that."

Wausau's Downtown Grocery has been participating in the event for at least seven years, said co-owner Kevin Korpela. The store will serve Three Sisters chili and Lumberjack bread - both made with hearty and healthy ingredients - at this year's event. For Korpela, the event offers an opportunity "to assist in a small way to provide a way to help bring more participation in education."

Megan Curtes, the owner of Be Well Bakeshop and an employee of Downtown Grocery, will serve her Denali brownies, a chocolate dessert with blueberries added to it.

"I believe in students being able to have the opportunity to go to school," Curtes said. "It's nice to help raise money for students to continue on. But it's a fun event, it's fun to mingle with other professional and amateur chefs. It's a really nice, warm atmosphere."

The captions for the three photos:
Photo One: Good EATS: Megan Curtes, owner of Be Well Bakeshop and an employee of Downtown Grocery, both participants in Education Assistance Through Scholarships (EATS), talks about her participation in the fundraiser for scholarships at UWMC. / Dan Young/Daily Herald Media
A baker works Monday at Downtown Grocery in Wausau, one of the participants in the EATS fundraiser for the University of Wisconsin Marathon County. / Dan Young/Daily Herald Media

Photo Two: A baker works Monday at Downtown Grocery in Wausau, one of the participants in the EATS fundraiser for the University of Wisconsin Marathon County. / Dan Young/Daily Herald Media

Photo Three: Kevin Korpela of Downtown Grocery, center, and Megan Curtes, right, of Be Well Bakeshop talk with Belinda Fechhelm of Marshfield at a wellness event. Both Korpela and Curtes will offer bites at Saturday's EATS event at UWMC. / Daily Herald Media file photo

Henke, 66, of Wausau sipped java Thursday as he sat in a rocking chair of the expanded section of Downtown Grocery, which was unveiled Thursday and doubled the shop's size to 3,000 square feet.

"Just to sit back and enjoy the moments of (the new store) was very pleasing to me," Henke said. "I told (the co-owner) this was the best cup of coffee I've ever experienced in Wausau, and I'm a coffee shop guy."

Co-owner Kevin Korpela said the Third Street store, which specializes in offering organic foods, now features a bigger kitchen and dining area. The new section of the grocery store has kept the feel of the old part; handcrafted wooden shelves stand tall in the new addition, wood lines the floor and intricate, white tin covers the ceiling.

"We're really excited, all of us, our grocery team, to have space to more competently assist our customers," Korpela said.

Joan Eckert of Wausau was happy to find Thursday a new seating area at the store with several additional chairs and tables, because in the past, she had not been able to find seating during lunch. Eckert said she visits Downtown Grocery every weekday to pick up a salad or bowl of soup.

"Lots of times, I had to take the food that I bought and eat in my car," Eckert chuckled.

"The new area, there's more tables and they're spread out. It feels expansive."

Additional food selections, from more cheese to dried fruit, will pop up in the store during the next year, Korpela said.

"We're looking at every department in a thoughtful way to expand the selection," Korpela said.

Wausau East High School art students are getting the chance to work with a real client while helping the crew members of Downtown Grocery transform their store.

Desiree Spoores, an 18-year-old senior at Wausau East, worked with 14 other junior and senior classmates to paint a mural of vegetables on the window front of Downtown Grocery in October, which covered up ongoing construction in the store's new addition. Some of that window mural will stay up for weeks or months, store co-owner Kevin Korpela said.

Spoores said it felt good to create art for somebody else and she was happy that her work was on display for downtown Wausau passers-by.

"I’ve never had anybody ask me to paint them anything before" Spoores said. "It was nice to know that my paintings and all of the other student paintings were appreciated and wanted in the store."

Wausau East Art teacher Joel Pataconi said he partnered with Korpela last spring when students created different paintings to hang around the store. Now, Korpela will ask the Wausau East art students for help again to come up with creative decor for the walls of the 1,500 square feet of store he opened up earlier this week. Pataconi said partnering with a Wausau business such as Downtown Grocery gives students the chance to work for somebody else, instead of just creating art for their own pleasure.

"High school students are pretty self-absorbed into what they want to do," Pataconi said. "I think this kind of opens up their eyes to try and make work for a different audience."

Spoores, an aspiring art teacher, said she's already thinking up ideas for her next creation to hang on the walls of the grocery store.

"I'd like to be able to stretch my abilities even more. It depends on what Kevin wants us to do, but I really like to paint vegetables," Spoores said.

[PHOTO] Wausau's Downtown Grocery has expanded from offering just organic food into healthy fast food and fresh-baked products for people on the go. / Dan Young/Gannett Central Wisconsin Media

Employee profile: Megan CurtesAge: 35Residence: WausauPosition: Store manager, owner of Be-Well BakeshopWhat you should know: Megan Curtes is one of the people who has helped the Downtown Grocery grow from just a grocery store to a place where people can quickly grab a premade breakfast, lunch or dinner. Curtes makes gluten-free and vegan baked goods from the store's kitchen and sells them at the Downtown Grocery for hungry passersby to pick up a muffin or a cookie. She opened the Be-Well Bakeshop in January 2010, shortly after becoming an employee at Downtown Grocery.
Curtes, who says she's sensitive to gluten and stays away from wheat products, tries to show people that desserts can still taste sweet, even gluten-free. "We believe making something without can be just as good," Curtes said. She likes to find ways to make her menu items flavorful but leave out anything unnecessary or that might provoke food allergies.

WAUSAU - Kevin Korpela likes to think it takes the same amount of time for someone to order a Big Mac, fries and soda at McDonald's as it does to pick up a salad, soup and a tofu-walnut burger at Downtown Grocery.

"It's vegetarian fast-food with a strong, healthy food side," Korpela said of the grocery store, bakery and cafe he co-owns in downtown Wausau.

Korpela said that after opening six years ago as an organic grocery store, he has focused efforts on building the cafe section of his business which offers an array of gluten-free, organic and healthy food for people on the go. His kitchen has become home to three health-food vendors in the past two years. One of those vendors is the Be-Well Bakeshop, which prepares muffins and breads at the store for customers to grab on a busy morning. Egg-free, nut-free or gluten-free, you name it, and health-conscious customers can find it.

Downtown Grocery wants to become a one-stop shop for those who want to live a healthy lifestyle, Megan Curtes, one of the managers at Downtown Grocery, said. The store now offers grass-fed meats, educational books about food as well as beauty supplies and health supplements.

"That area has been definitely growing," Curtes said.

Curtes said with more people becoming interested in health recently, managers have made a bigger effort to train employees to be ready for customers' questions about food health.

"Our customers are becoming more and more interested about where their food is coming from," Curtes said. "(We're) spending time with staff, more time for training. What we do really well here is we listen, educate and support."

Curtes said the store, which is overflowing with baskets full of tomatoes, cucumbers and other fresh fruits, might soon have to expand.

Wausau, 3/5/2011, Wausau Daily Herald--- Jake Miller of the Wausau Daily Herald reported "Plans for community food garden growing in downtown Wausau".
Living in a cramped city block can make it hard to garden, but that could change in Wausau this spring. A downtown community garden with 18 plots is planned for the 1800 block of Second Street, where organizers hope residents can plant, nurture and harvest fruits, vegetables and flowers. The Wausau Second Street Community Garden is the brainchild of several people and organizations, including Downtown Grocery'sKevin Korpela and Bridge Community Health Clinic Executive Director Laura Scudiere.

Scudiere and Korpela said the garden is for anyone, but a primary goal is to make it accessible to low-income residents and to provide education about how to grow food and cook it. "Under guidance, most people can have a successful garden," Korpela said. The garden's organizers have raised about $10,000, but they'll need another $10,000 for supplies, tools and labor, Scudiere said.

The garden will be next to the Bridge Clinic. Scudiere said the clinic won't be building on the vacant lot anytime soon, so it's the perfect place for the garden. The sustainable garden will include rain barrels, a water cistern and compost bins. "When we are successful, we'd like to replicate it throughout the city," Scudiere said. "We'll start here at Bridge Clinic, but there are other places that could use some (gardens).

Plots will be available on a sliding-fee scale to make them affordable for anyone, Scudiere said. Also, volunteers or businesses can sign up to garden and then donate the harvest to The Neighbors' Place, which will have its own plot. Master gardeners, nutritionists from Marathon County Health Department and other experts will provide education to gardeners. Korpela said the garden also is a city beautification project that ultimately can bring people from the community together. "It's welcome to all and allows for (people from) various income levels to share the same space and learn from each other," he said. Anyone interested in donating to the garden can call the Garden's AmeriCorps member, at 715-848-4884.

Wausau, 7/07/2010, WSAW News Channel 7--- WSAW TV-7 featured Downtown Grocery in 'Grocers Seeing Increase in Demand for Ethnic Foods'. Downtown Grocery's Kevin Korpela stated "...people are looking for fun and exciting foods." Reporter Jennifer Kliese wrote:
--- Grocers say they've seen an increase in demand for ethnic foods in the past few years.
The owner of Downtown Grocery in Wausau says customers come in asking for specialty ethnic foods quite often. They've worked with local farmers who have started to grow a broader range of products, like celery root or a Native American vegetable called sunchoke.
"I think people in general are looking for fun and exciting foods. It also happens to be that most of our ethnic or family foods are often interesting and unique vegetables that often perhaps haven't been as popular as in years past," says Kevin Korpela of Downtown Grocery.
The store holds ethnic cooking classes, and offers a lunch menu of foods from all over the world.

Wausau, 6/19/2010, Daily Herald Frontpage (2 page PDF)--- The front page (and page 4A) features an article titled "Residents revel in downtown revival" on the Downtown Wausau Third Street three-block reconstruction where the 400, 500, and 600 Block were demolished and rebuilt with details and furnishings similar to the 300 Block reconstructed three years ago. Several residents and business owners were asked about the project, and Downtown Grocery'sKevin Korpela said, "For the past seven weeks, we've just had to be careful where we walked and listen for beeps."

Wausau, 11/30/2009, Daily Herald Frontpage (PDF)--- The front page features an article titled Downtown Grocery Cultivates Awareness
with a Q & A with Kevin Korpela about how it recovered from a downturn in sales in late 2008 along with much of the rest of the economy while continuing to push "buy-local" movement.
--- Also, the article above was published on 11/30/09 in the following newspapers: Appleton Post Cresent, Marshfield News Herald, Stevens Point Journal, and the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune.

Wausau, 11/29/2009, WAOW News Channel 9 --- In report titled, Shoppers attended alternative holiday market
featured the Alternative Holiday Market taking place in Downtown Wausau over the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend at two downtown Wausau churches, Unitarian Universalist and First Presbyterian, to provide a market for local non-profits, artisans and businesses that offer gifts that follow Fair-trade, Humanitarian, Local, and Sustainable practices that follow a long-view approach, "Don't just make a purchase - Make a difference!"
--- Background video included the vendor stand for Downtown Grocery hosted by Kevin Korpela.

Wausau, 11/08/2009, Daily Herald Sunday, Section C1, Community Conversation --- The front page of Section C features an article titled, Downtown moves toward full-time, about past efforts and the potential future to offer downtown Wausau visitors more evening and weekend hours. Downtown Grocery is one fo the several shops open on Sunday, Kevin Korpela states, "We wanted to be open on Sunday because that was just an important thing to do for a grocery store."

Wausau, 8/18/2009, WSAW News Channel 7 --- Architect Kevin Korpela of
Downtown Grocery.com is interviewed in a Channel 7 News Report titled,
Buying Locally Can Boost Your Local Economy, on how you can help your local economy get into an upswing through buying from independently owned stores pumps 20 percent more money back into your community than buying from a big box.

Wausau, 8/02/2009, WAOW News Channel 9 --- Architect Kevin Korpela of
Downtown Grocery.com offers information in a Channel 9 News Report titled,
Organic food no healthier than conventional?, on a new study suggesting organic is no healthier than conventional. Korpela disagrees. The study didn't look at the big-picture, such as pesticides or key nutrients. When organically-grown plants de...fend against stress and disease, they "...build higher levels of antioxidants and polyphenols...Then of course the humans benefit."

Wausau, 4/19/2009, Daily Herald Front Page --- In the Sunday front page story, Green's changed since first Earth Day, Downtown Grocery is mentioned as one of the signs of the growing green movement in Central Wisconsin.

Wausau, 3/4/2009,
Educational Assistance Through Scholarships from
Buy Local Central Wisconsin--- A new "Buy Local" website reports on the forthcoming 2009 UW-MC "EATS" event to be held March 7, 2009, to raise funds for student scholarships. The event will feature culinary samples prepared by various "Guest Chefs" from local businesses and citizens. The report also called attention to "Downtown Grocery" being a local source for Indian food such as the Indian-style samples they'll prepare for the event.

Wausau, January 8-15, 2009, The City Pages, Cover Feature " Persons to Watch in 2009 (PDF)" --- Kevin Korpela of Downtown Grocery and Observatory Drive.com was one of five people featured in the 1/8/09 issue. The "Cover Feature" stated:
"They might be considered fascinating people, or up-and-comers, or spirited personalities.
But most of all, they're simply interesting individuals making a mark in the Wausau area.
The array includes:
- A young architect who co-founded an organic grocery store that
some are amazed is still after two years in this market."
- [Plus four more interesting individuals.]

Wausau, September 2008, The City Pages, Best of Survey --- Downtown Grocery was voted by the readers as their "Favorite New Store" and "Best Vegetarian Deli."

Wausau, 6/26/2008, WAOW Newsline 9 Political Blog --- Producer Katie Rosenberg writes in an essay titled
The Young and Restless: Where Do We Go From Here? that "...the Y&R are bent on making society are better place economically, aesthetically and even environmentally, and that young people like Kevin Korpela from Downtown Grocery can identify with these concerns."

Wausau, 5/13/2008, City of Wausau Historic Landmarks Commission --- At the beginning of the City Council Meeting this day, the Historic Landmarks Commission of the City of Wausau presented a
Certificate of Recognition to Kevin Korpela, Architect for Downtown Grocery's efforts to restore of the 1500 SF interior storefront during the Spring of 2006 for use as the new Local Organic Grocery Store called Downtown Grocery that opened in July 2006. The Certificate stated the following:

City of Wausau
Presents this
Certificate of Recognition
to Downtown Grocery.com in acknowledgedment of the restoration of 607 Third Street
by the City of Wausau and the
Wausau Historic Landmarks Commission
DATED: May 13, 2008

State-wide, 2007 Fall Sampler, Taste of Wisconsin ---
Taste of Wisconsin - Where to find the good stuff (PDF) . This color brochure found at travel centers state-wide offers a Fall event schedule and locations for unique food experiences. The "Wausau/Stevens Point" section features events such as Artrageous Weekend Sept 8-9th and three food places for Wausau: The Mint Cafe, Hereford & Hops and
Downtown Grocery .

Wausau, 6/3/2007, Daily Herald Bulletin Board --- "Students decorate Downtown Grocery" shows a photo of art teacher Kim Sample, her students and Kevin Korpela. The caption reads, "Kim Sample, art teacher at John Muir Middle School, and Kevin Korpela of Downtown Grocery met with art students from John Muir. Downtown Grocery will display about a dozen original paintings done by students for the next seven months. Paintings include fruit, vegetables and bread."

- www.wausaudailyherald.com, 3/26/08, Ann Liebmann, Cooking Blog: Smellavision --- Ann writes about how a walk in downtown Wausau with "...Zhou's Mongolian BBQ, Stir Fry 88, Peking, Chang Garden, Yao's Grand Dragon...[and the] City Grill, Back When, Prima Deli, The Mint and Downtown Grocery...trigger memories faster than any other sense and we know that it contributes a huge amount to how we taste food."

- www.beloitsustainability.blogspot.com, 3/15/08, City of Beloit with reference to local food --- Two Beloit College students write about their city and how to make it more sustainable such as the importance of "...Farmers’ markets featuring local produce are the fastest growing aspect of the American food economy [McKibben, “Downtown Grocery”] and reference Downtown Grocery in "Works Cited".

- www.wausaudailyherald.com, 2/8/08, Keith Uhlig, Life in Wausau Blog --- Keith writes about his Cheese of the week, Kasseri, and his experience with the cheese at Downtown Grocery.